2010 American Music Awards Red Carpet
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Thursday 30 June 2011
Chuckie Will Debut Michael Jackson Remix In Miami
Official 'Hollywood Tonight' remix coming to Miami Music Week.
By Akshay Bhansali
Chuckie
Photo: Jason Ano/ One and Only Productions
Leaving the South by Southwest festival, Lavo New York and Las Vegas' Marquee in his wake, house DJ Chuckie has his sights set on the week ahead. With Miami Music Week now upon us, Chuckie plans to seize the opportunity to debut new material. Fans will be tickled to know the Dutch producer has tracks in the can with Kelly Rowland and T-Pain, but when MTV News caught up with him Friday in New York, Chuckie shared the achievement of which he's most proud.
"I did a Michael Jackson remix, which was really scary — to touch Michael Jackson vocals," Chuckie said. "I did this remix for this track 'Hollywood Tonight.' I couldn't say it for a minute: The label called me, and they said, 'You can't say nothing about this. It's kind of a secret project.' It's gonna come out anytime now."
"Hollywood Tonight" was originally produced by Teddy Riley for Jackson's posthumous Michael album, and Chuckie's mix of the song will be the sole official remix of the track.
"I will play it Miami," Chuckie revealed. "I told them this is the best week to launch the remix. So it feels really good. I'm the only one remixing that Michael Jackson track, and they are considering it a single. For me, especially, it's an honor to remix the King of Pop because he died on my birthday."
So, will the mix be a thundering Chuckie Dutch house banger or will it have a melodic progressive house feel, like his Marquee remix of Diddy-Dirty Money's "I Hate That You Love Me"? Well, according to the "Let the Bass Kick" producer, fans will be getting a healthy dose of both.
"I had to bring in the raucous," Chuckie confessed. "Yeah, I did the Chuckie flavor, but then again, I wanted to make it really musical, so I went progressive (house) on it."
Chuckie will be performing twice at Miami Music Week: at the Cr2 Records Party at Wall Lounge on Wednesday, and then headlining "No Sugar Added" at Nikki Beach on Friday.
Are you excited to hear Chuckie's remix of Michael Jackson's "Hollywood Tonight"? Let us know in the comments below!
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'Transformers 3' Box Office: How High Can It Go?
'Dark of the Moon' might not make as much as 'Revenge of the Fallen,' but that doesn't make it a failure.
By Eric Ditzian
Rosie Huntington-Whiteley in "Transformers: Dark of the Moon"
Photo: Paramount Pictures
Last month, "Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides" corralled $92.2 million over its opening weekend — the highest total of 2011. How could Jack Sparrow possibly complain? Well, that lofty sum was still well below the openings of both 2006's "Dead Man's Chest" ($135.6 million) and 2007's "At World's End" ($114.7).
The fact is, even the most robust of movie franchises tend to wane in terms of box-office bucks; the familiar pattern is a first film that sets the stage, a second installment that cashes in on the anticipation and then subsequent offerings that can't continue the upward trend. Such is the case with "Transformers."
There's much to celebrate with "Dark of the Moon," which enjoyed a first-day gross on Wednesday of $42.5 million (when you count midnight screenings), beating the first-day pull of "On Stranger Tides" (a Friday release, no less). That puts the third "Transformers" film on track for a seven-day debut of as much as $200 million or more. So why might Optimus Prime be dissatisfied with that opening? "Revenge of the Fallen" opened to $62 million on a Wednesday in 2009, on its way to a one-week total of almost $240 million.
Yet any dissatisfaction must be tempered with historical box-office perspective. "The fact that 'T3' didn't measure up to 'T2' isn't really a surprise, as the fatigue factor finally caught up to the franchise," said Jeff Bock, box-office analyst for Exhibitor Relations. "This is the case for most films series as they reach the threequel. Plus, it didn't help 'Transformers' that the second film was, for the most part, trashed by critics, fans and even the filmmakers."
While "Dark of the Moon" is off to a comparatively slow start, some industry observers believe it could pick up over the holiday weekend. "Everything we're seeing on Facebook and Twitter indicates that word-of-mouth is extremely positive," said Phil Contrino, editor of Boxoffice.com. "It's still a bit early to rush to judgment on how well this is going to hold up over the holiday frame. It could explode in a big way over the weekend."
Perhaps. Or not. There's no doubt the franchise took a public-opinion hit after the second film. And while the third one offers perhaps the finest use of 3-D since "Avatar," it comes at a time when audiences are battling back against a host of shoddy 3-D offerings by simply not paying the extra bucks for another dimension. "Dark of the Moon" is a victim of the three-dimensional failings of "Clash of the Titans."
At the same time, we can't ignore the worldwide situation. Globally, "Dark of the Moon" might well eclipse the $836 million total of "Revenge of the Fallen" (just as "On Stranger Tides" could end up being the biggest "Pirates" flick when international grosses are factored in). Thus, Optimus rejoices!
So where does all this leave "Transformers" going forward? Both star Shia LaBeouf and director Michael Bay have declared, in no uncertain terms, that they plan to end their involvement with the series after three films. Both creatively and financially, that might not be such a bad thing.
"This franchise needs new blood and a new angle going forward," Bock said, going on to suggest the fourth film needs to leave the familiar environs of Earth behind and deeply explore the robot alien's home planet. "Maybe a trip to Cybertron will be the spark 'Transformers 4' needs. Don't bring it to us, we'll come to you! But we will likely have to wait three to four years."
Check out everything we've got on "Transformers: Dark of the Moon."
For breaking news, celebrity columns, humor and more — updated around the clock — visit MTVMoviesBlog.com.
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Beyonc� - Run The World (Girls)
- Artist: Beyoncé
- Label: Columbia
- Director: Francis Lawrence
Source: http://www.mtv.com/overdrive/?artist=1236911&vid=654804
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Taylor Swift, Rihanna Dress To Impress At Billboard Awards
Nicki Minaj, Ke$ha, Selena Gomez also make fashion splash on red carpet, as showgirl style rules at the Las Vegas event on Sunday night.
By Jocelyn Vena
Taylor Swift at the 2011 Billboard Music Awards
Photo: Jordan Strauss/ Getty Images
On Sunday night, some of the biggest names in the music industry hit up the Billboard Music Awards in Las Vegas and decided that sparkles and sequins make for the perfect additions to any red carpet get-up. Well, it is Sin City after all.
Taylor Swift always seems to bring some of that Nashville sparkle to any red carpet. She arrived at the show in a pale-hued, sequined Elie Saab gown. Nicki Minaj showed off her signature sense of style in her baby-blue, body-hugging spandex Mark Fast catsuit.
Selena Gomez turned up the style dial in a sexy, cut-out black Dolce & Gabbana gown that she paired with red strappy sandals with sparkly bow detailing. Like Gomez, Ke$ha opted for some cut-out detailing in her sparkly, slate-gray dress with tulle skirt. Rihanna looked white hot in her men's tailored Max Azria suit, which she kept sexy and feminine by not buttoning her shirt all the way.
Fergie went S&M chic in her little black bandage-type dress by Hervé Léger. Nicole Kidman also wore black. She paired a casual braid hairstyle with a long black gown and Keith Urban. British pop cutie Kyle Minogue looked funky in her little black lacey dress. Inside the show, Britney Spears sat in the audience wearing a skimpy black dress of her own, her hair in loose curls, with little-to-no accessories.
While some stars kept the color scheme low-key, Keri Hilson decided to stand out in her billowy little yellow dress paired with a turquoise-colored belt. Kelly Rowland showed off some of her best assets in a body-hugging, bright pink bandage dress.
The fellas also looked tight on the carpet. Joe Jonas wore all black with white sneakers, Ne-Yo paired his periwinkle suit with a Yankees cap and Justin Bieber wore black tuxedo pants with a gold-lamé tuxedo jacket.
Which stars' styles caught your eye at the Billboard Music Awards? Tell us in the comments.
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Ke$ha - Blow
- Artist: Ke$ha
- Label: RCA
- Director: Chris Maars
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Wednesday 29 June 2011
Jill Scott Scores First #1 on Billboard 200
Bon Iver debuts at #2, followed by Adele at #3 and 'Weird Al' Yankovic at #9.
By Gil Kaufman
Jill Scott's <i>The Light of the Sun</i>
Photo: Blues Babe Records
R&B singer Jill Scott will notch her first #1 album next week when her fourth effort, Light of the Sun, crashes the top of the Billboard 200 chart thanks to sales of 135,000 copies, according to figures provided by Nielsen SoundScan.
That was more than enough to hold off the charge from another chart-topping newbie, sensitive Wisconsin folkie Bon Iver (a.k.a. Justin Vernon), whose self-titled second collection of pastoral Auto-Tuned hymns hits #2 after selling 104,000 copies.
The pair leads a parade of new faces, which include country singer Justin Moore at #5 with Outlaws Like Me (65,000), Pitbull, whose Planet Pit lands at #7 (55,000), and perennial chart-crashing joke man "Weird Al" Yankovic, who yuks his way to #9 with Alpocalypse (44,000).
The rest of the top 10: Adele, 21 (#3, 101,000); Jackie Evancho, Dream With Me (#4, 77,000); Bad Meets Evil, Hell: The Sequel (#6, 63,000); Lady Gaga, Born This Way (#8, 49,000); and Jason Aldean, My Kinda Party (#10, 40,000).
Speaking of parties, all-night disco rockers LMFAO wiggle in just outside the top 10 with their second effort, Sorry for Party Rocking, which hits #12 (27,000), while soul singer Ledisi takes a 10-spot tumble in week two with Pieces of Me, which falls to #18 (20,000). Without a smash hit like "Fireflies," fans seemed to flee Owl City's latest, All Things Bright and Beautiful, which plummets 26 spots in week two to #32, as sales drop 73 percent to 13,000.
Pop punk veterans Simple Plan rolled into the #52 slot with Get Your Heart On! (9,000).
Over on the iTunes charts, it's a different story, as Bon Iver rules the album tally, followed by Adele, Scott, the Eminem and Royce Da 5'9" collabo Bad Meets Evil, Pitbull, Moore, Mumford & Sons' Sigh No More, LMFAO, Matt Nathanson's Modern Love and a Frank Sinatra greatest hits collection.
Katy Perry was the queen of the iTunes singles chart thanks to "Last Friday Night (T.G.I.F.)," which beat out Maroon 5's "Moves Like Jagger" collaboration with Christina Aguilera on "The Voice," then LMFAO's "Party Rock Anthem," Pitbull's "Give Me Everything," Nicki Minaj's "Super Bass," Adele's "Rolling in the Deep," Lady Gaga's "The Edge of Glory," Hot Chelle Rae's "Tonight Tonight," Lil Wayne's "How to Love" and Blake Shelton's "Honey Bee."
Expect more shake-ups at the top next week when Beyoncé's 4 charts, along with new ones from Selena Gomez, former "American Idol" winner David Cook, Big Sean, Curren$y and, yes, the reunited Limp Bizkit.
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Robert Pattinson Gets A Pie In The Face On The Set Of His New Movie
A few weeks ago we saw photos of Twilight hunk Robert Pattinson on the Toronto, Ontario set of his new film Cosmopolis and, as you may recall, he was lookin’ fine and dapper. Today we get to see new photos of R. Pattz on set and, well, he is not lookin’ clean … at all. [...]
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Usher To Donate Gadhafi Money To Charity
'I will be donating all of my personal proceeds...to various human rights organizations,' singer says of concert linked to Libyan dictator.
By Shawn Adler
Usher (file)
Photo: Getty Images
R&B superstar Usher announced Friday (March 4) that he was donating to various charities proceeds from appearing at a private event at St. Barts linked to Libyan dictator Moammar Gadhafi, according to a statement made to the Associated Press.
The Grammy award winner's renouncement comes after similar announcements from singers Mariah Carey, Nelly Furtado, and Beyoncé, all of whom were revealed to have performed at private concerts linked to the Middle Eastern leader, who has faced open revolt and major political uprisings since February.
"I am sincerely troubled to learn about the circumstances surrounding the Nikki Beach St. Bart's event that took place on New Year's Eve 2009," Usher said of the concert, at which he appeared alongside Beyoncé but did not perform. "I will be donating all of my personal proceeds from that event to various human rights organizations."
Usher has already begun the process, having made a donation to Amnesty International, the AP reports. The exact size of the donation is not known.
The New Year's Eve gig was reportedly for Moammar's fourth son Muastassim, who an unnamed music industry source told MTV News has a history of throwing lavish parties "jammed" with supermodels.
Beyoncé, who sang at the event, donated all proceeds from her performance to the Clinton-Bush Haiti Fund, established in the wake of the Haitian earthquake.
"All monies paid to Beyoncé for her performance at a private party at Nikki Beach St. Barts on New Year's Eve 2009, including the commissions paid to her booking agency, were donated to the earthquake relief efforts for Haiti over a year ago," the "Halo" singer's publicist said in a statement to The Huffington Post. "Once it became known that the third-party promoter was linked to the Qaddafi family, the decision was made to put that payment to a good cause."
Singer Nelly Furtado tweeted February 28 that she plans to make similar amends.
"In 2007, I received 1million$ from the Gadhafi clan to perform a 45 min. show for guests at a hotel in Italy," she tweeted. "I am going to donate the $."
The leader of Libya since a successful military coup in 1969, Gadhafi has reportedly lost control of much of his country as a result of widespread uprisings. The United Nations voted unanimously to refer the dictator to the International Criminal Court for crimes against humanity.
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Usher - Hey Daddy (Daddy's Home)
- Artist: Usher
- Label: JLG
- Director: Chris Robinson
- Album: Hey Daddy (Daddy's Home)
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Beyonc� - Sweet Dreams
- Artist: Beyoncé
- Label: Columbia, Music World Music
- Director: Adria Petty
- Album: I Am...Sasha Fierce
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Beyonc� - Video Phone (Extended Remix)
- Artist: Beyoncé
- Label: Columbia, Music World Music
- Director: Hype Williams
- Album: I Am...Sasha Fierce
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Ke$ha - Take It Off
- Artist: Ke$ha
- Label: RCA
- Director: Paul Hunter, Dori Oskowitz
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Tuesday 28 June 2011
Ke$ha Touched By Fan's Tattoo
Singer tells MTV News about gay fan inspired by her song 'Animal.'
By Gil Kaufman
Ke$ha
Photo: MTV News
Ke$ha knows all about the perks of being a headliner. On her Get $leazy Tour, the singer gets to call all the shots, blast her fans in the face with tons of glitter and handpick which dudes she wants to party and share the stage with.
But it's not all backstage shenanigans and groupie love. When MTV News sat down with the "Blow" singer in New York earlier this week before her gig at Roseland Ballroom, Ke$ha said that amid the nightly onstage parties there have also been some poignant moments on her first headlining outing.
"Best moment? There are so many. Every night's amazing. I have kids outside right now chanting my name and it's awesome," she said of the first leg of the tour. "There was one night a fan came onstage, I invited him onstage, and he had a tattoo of the dollar sign. I was like, 'Oh, that's awesome! Badass. You're part of the cult, man.' "
And then, she said, he began to cry and explained that he was able to come out of the closet to his friends and family thanks to her song "Animal."
"And I'm standing onstage about to sing a song about growing back a pair of testicles ["Grow a Pear"] and I had tears rolling down my face and chills all over my body," she said. "Because that's really the reason I do music, to inspire people to be themselves."
Ke$ha has been a vocal supporter of the "It Gets Better" video project, which aims to help gay, bisexual and transgender youth find hope in the face of teasing and bullying.
The "Get $leazy" juggernaut continues on Saturday night with a show at Clarion University in Clarion, Pennsylvania.
Are you planning to see Ke$ha on her Get $leazy Tour? Tell us in the comments.
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Photos | Janet Jackson Performs A Tribute To Michael Jackson At The VMAs
'Transformers' Director Michael Bay Calls 3-D A 'Technical Nightmare'
'I've slowed down my style on this one,' he tells MTV News of adjusting to 3-D for 'Dark of the Moon.'
By Eric Ditzian, with reporting by Josh Horowitz
Michael Bay on the set of "Transformers: Dark of the Moon"
Photo: Paramount Pictures
Toward the end of February of last year, as James Cameron's "Avatar" was crossing the $700 million mark at the domestic box office on its way to a record-shattering worldwide total, "Transformers" director Michael Bay was still not convinced that 3-D was the true future of popcorn moviemaking.
"I've seen some tests that look great on other movies. I just want to see how it looks on my footage... in terms of a lot of real stuff coming out of the frame, real dirt, real complicated little particles coming towards the lens," he said at the time by way of revealing that he was considering a 3-D treatment for the third installment of his alien robot franchise.
The fact that he'd even arrived at such a testing phase is a credit both to Cameron and "Transformers" exec producer Stephen Spielberg. "Jim Cameron, he's like, 'Mike, you got to do it in 3-D,' " Bay told MTV News recently. "Stephen Spielberg, he says, 'Michael, you should do this in 3-D,' and I'm like, 'I don't know about the technology.' "
In the end, Bay became convinced that the tech was solid. For "Transformers: Dark of the Moon,"he shot, by his own estimation, 60 percent of the finished film using 3-D cameras, another 15 percent consisting of all-digital 3-D shots and 25 percent footage converted from two dimensions to three. And while the director remains happy with the results, he did not mince words in talking about the challenges of working with 3-D cameras.
"It's hard with my style of shooting and taking [a camera] and strapping it to guys who are skydiving off buildings, and helmet cams," he said. "It's a technical nightmare. You don't even want to tell your viewers how technically complicated this stuff is."
To accommodate the limitations of a 3-D presentation, Bay ended up adjusting his often kinetic approach to filmmaking. "I've slowed down my style on this one," he explained. "There are longer shots, there are evolving shots, some shots are 45 seconds long, where you're going in and through things. Where people say, 'Oh, I can't watch action with 3-D,' it's where 3-D was done poorly and your eye goes in and out, and if it goes fast, it's when you get bad 3-D, because it screws with your head. Shot by shot, we're transitioning the viewer. You can really feel the action in this. It's much more experiential."
Check out everything we've got on "Transformers: Dark of the Moon."
For breaking news, celebrity columns, humor and more — updated around the clock — visit MTVMoviesBlog.com.
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First Listen: Bj�rk, ?Crystalline?
Earlier this month we got our first tease of Bj�rk‘s new single Crystalline, the first from her upcoming new album Biophilia. As you may recall, Bj�rk released a video of her driving in Iceland with her song playing thru the speakers. Today we get to listen to Crystalline in full! Click below to check it [...]
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Drake Goes Home Alone In 'Marvins Room' Video
Drizzy gets rejected and drowns his sorrows in brand-new clip.
By Rob Markman
Drake (file)
Photo: Mike Coppola/ Getty Images
It's one thing to hear Drake sing about lost love and rejection, but to see it is a different story entirely. In the video for "Marvins Room," Drake tosses back drinks at a party full of women and goes home alone, while a drunk-dial conversation coupled with his regretful lyrics seem to explain why he failed to close the deal.
The clip, which was released at 3:46 a.m. on Drizzy's October's Very Own blog, starts off if a woman dressed in a T-shirt and panties on the phone, talking about her night, in which she hopped from club to club. "Hello, yeah I just walked in," she says pacing her living room before lying down on a leather couch. Drake sits on the other end of the line, seated in the back of his Maybach, listening.
The beat drops and Drake starts his first verse seated at the bar in a lounge. Partygoers mingle and dance around him, but the Toronto native throws back shot after shot to chase the bottles of beer that he sips on. Clearly inebriated, Drizzy first flirts with a girl standing at the bar. After he whispers something in her ear, the young lady walks off uninterested as the rapper swivels his head to watch her strut away.
Undeterred, Drizzy hits the dance floor pushing up on a second female, who also blocks his advances. The scene cuts back to the pants-less cutie who is still sprawled out on her couch breathing into the phone, "Are you drunk right now?"
The answer is clearly yes: Drake's drunken state is visually depicted by a spinning camera that moves in and out of focus as he makes his way across the dance floor to the bathroom where he continues to croon. The track then slows down to a crawl, repeating Drake's refrain, "I'm just sayin' you can do better."
Maybe she can, but not tonight. The video snaps back, the song's pitch is corrected, the video comes to a close, and Drake tells the woman on the phone, "You're not gonna come? Guess I'm about to just kick it here then." Cue the cold shower.
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'Cars 2': The Reviews Are In!
Critics enjoy the visual ride but not much else about Pixar's latest.
By Eric Ditzian
Lightning McQueen (voiced by Owen Wilson) and Mater (voiced by Larry the Cable Guy) in "Cars 2"
Photo: Disney
Animated films, much like the big-screen work of Adam Sandler, are so often review-proof. "Hop" didn't give a hoot that critics eviscerated the Easter Bunny tale, opening to $37.5 million domestically on its way to a $176.8 million worldwide total. And hey, "Grown Ups" and "Just Go With It" were two of the most savagely critiqued comedies in recent memory, yet each one deposited a couple hundred million dollars in Sandler's already astonishing box-office pot of gold.
So does it really matter that critics have flagged "Cars 2," Pixar's latest offering and its first sequel outside the "Toy Story" franchise, for a dizzying array of cinematic violations? Nope. The CGI flick is poised to race away with around $65 million this weekend. Kids, and the parents who hold their hands on the way to the theater, will be leading the charge. And they won't care at all that reviewers have harrumphed at the convoluted storytelling, because they'll be too busy gawking at what even critics admit are top-notch visuals.
But if you're old enough to read this, perhaps you might care. And thus we present a deep dive into the "Cars 2" reviews:
The Story
"Who decided to make Larry the Cable Guy the star? I don't know, but his Mater, the dopey, good-hearted tow truck from the first 'Cars,' is the focus of the sequel, which is sort of like basing a fourth 'Toy Story' on Slinky Dog. The star of 'Witless Protection,' among other delights, can only carry a film so far. This time out, Lightning McQueen (Owen Wilson) is goaded, with Mater's help, into entering the World Grand Prix to face the cocky Francesco Bernoulli (John Turturro). ... Mater somehow gets himself involved in international espionage. Someone is trying to sabotage the Grand Prix, and spies Finn McMissle (Michael Caine) and Holley Shiftwell (Emily Mortimer) are trying to figure out who and why. Mistaking Mater for a fellow spy — the idiot act is flawless, Finn tells him — Mater is soon wearing disguises and working undercover, haplessly bumbling his way to success." — Bill Goodykoontz, Arizona Republic
The Storytelling
" 'Cars 2' plays out like two scripts that have been stapled together. Scenes from one script alternate with scenes from the other, and there are separate batches of characters in the U.S., Italy and England, most of whom don't have much to do (every movie could use more of Bonnie Hunt, who voices Lightning's girlfriend, but that's especially true of this movie). The testing of the Mater/Lightning friendship has charm and gives 'Cars 2' what heart it has, but the film spends most of its time on the spy plot, which is not terribly involving." — Chris Hewitt, St. Paul Pioneer Press
The Visuals
"Every frame is rendered so beautifully you wish you could pause it: the uncanny wetness of the ocean waves as Finn performs a daring oil-rig maneuver; the glowing lights of nighttime Paris; the sparkling sunshine on Corsica streets as cars zoom through; the gentle gray mists of London. (Note, though, that the 3-D effects are very subtle; my guess is that you wouldn't miss a thing by seeing this movie in 2-D.)" — Moira Macdonald, Seattle Times
The Missteps
"The tone and emphasis of 'Cars 2' veers off course from the start. Too many guns, for one thing. The whole thing is too weapons-dependent to be charming. There's plenty to watch here, and preteens who found the first 'Cars' a bit pokey won't have the same reaction to this frenetic, globe-trotting follow-up. But I got little pleasure from seeing these cars (plus boats, and a plane) thrown into the spy thriller genre. It's an intriguing story risk at best, a protracted stunt at worst. The greatest Pixar films have sampled, free-form, an unpredictable variety of moods and styles. Here the mash-ups refuse to jell, and even Michael Giacchino's score sounds like someone less talented than Michael Giacchino composed it." — Michael Phillips, Chicago Tribune
The Final Word
" 'Cars 2' is probably the slightest of Pixar's films — it sort of plays like an espionage-driven episode of the '60s 'Speed Racer' cartoon, only with the Mach 5 doing all the talking in a universe eerily devoid of humans. But if it's going to be diet Pixar, at least it's action-packed diet Pixar — with overwhelming, detail-choked production design that occasionally had my jaw lowering like a forklift." — Michael Russell, Oregonian
Check out everything we've got on "Cars 2."
For breaking news, celebrity columns, humor and more — updated around the clock — visit MTVMoviesBlog.com.
Source: http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1666419/cars-2-movie-reviews.jhtml
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Linkin Park Call Red Square 'Transformers' Performance A 'Privilege'
LP perform 'Iridescent' from the 'Transformers: Dark of the Moon' premiere in Moscow.
By James Montgomery, with reporting by Josh Horowitz
Mike Shinoda and Chester Bennington perform at Moscow's Red Square
Photo: MTV News
Linkin Park have taken their expansive rock show to seemingly every corner of the globe, but they've never played Moscow's Red Square (to be fair, very few acts ever have). But now, thanks to the power of Michael Bay and "Transformers: Dark of the Moon," they can finally cross it off their list.
On Friday, their performance of "Iridescent" — a song from their A Thousand Suns that's since been tapped as the first single off the new "Transformers" soundtrack — was broadcast across MTV's platform of networks. It was part of the blockbuster's world premiere at the Moscow International Film Fest, but to hear Linkin Park tell it, it was also a moment they'll remember for the rest of their lives.
"To do a movie premiere is pretty cool — we've done some of them before — but to do a premiere in Moscow, and then perform in Red Square ... We were saying earlier, it's kind of one of those things where you think, 'How did they pull that off?' " LP's Chester Bennington told MTV News. "I mean, Red Square is not exactly a place they throw concerts every day. Not many bands have performed there, so ... this is really a very special and exceptional moment for us. We've had the privilege of playing a few other landmark locations that are very special, and this definitely tops that."
Of course, it was a moment that couldn't have happened without the considerable clout of "Transformers" director Michael Bay ("There's, like, nothing he can't do," Bennington joked. "He may have actually shot the [film's] moon footage on the moon"), but when Linkin Park first joined forces with the franchise back in 2007, they never dreamed the collaboration would eventually lead them to Red Square. Basically, back then, they just signed on because they were huge fans of the toys. And needless to say, things have worked out pretty well ever since.
"I have a special place in my heart for Soundwave and Starscream," Mike Shinoda laughed.
"We loved playing with the toys as kids and conceptually, the idea of Transformers — these machines that are alive — it's always been a great story," Bennington added. "But realistically, the toys were amazing. They're still the coolest toys ever."
Check out everything we've got on "Transformers: Dark of the Moon."
For breaking news, celebrity columns, humor and more — updated around the clock — visit MTVMoviesBlog.com.
Related Videos- Linkin Park Explode Into Moscow At 'Transformers' Premiere
- MTV Rough Cut: 'Transformers: Dark Of The Moon'
Source: http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1666427/linkin-park-transformers-dark-of-the-moon-moscow.jhtml
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Monday 27 June 2011
Michael Jackson - Beat It
- Artist: Michael Jackson
- Label: Epic Records
- Director: Bob Giraldi
- Album: Thriller [Bonus Tracks]
Source: http://www.mtv.com/overdrive/?artist=1102&vid=26721
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Michael Jackson Doctor Conrad Murray's Trial To Be Televised
Judge rules that camera will be allowed in the courtroom for manslaughter case.
By Gil Kaufman
Conrad Murray
Photo: AFP/ Getty Images
For what promises to be one of the most bizarre and riveting legal proceedings in years, a Los Angeles judge ruled on Monday that a television camera will be allowed in the courtroom when Michael Jackson's doctor goes on trial for involuntary manslaughter.
Reuters reported that Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Michael Pastor, approved the presence of a camera in the trial of Dr. Conrad Murray as long as it does not interfere with the proceedings in the closely watched case.
The judge asked for the "absolute least-intrusive placement" of a TV camera in the courtroom, but blocked cameras from documenting jury selection.
Pastor also announced that he would bump up the opening date of the trail by four days to March 24, at which point jury selection will begin. Murray, who faces up to four years in prison if convicted, has pleaded not guilty to the charges, and the trial is expected to last around six weeks.
Cardiologist Murray was hired to be Jackson's personal physician in the run-up to the King of Pop's planned 50-date comeback series of shows at London's O2 arena in the summer of 2009. The doctor told police that he provided Jackson, 50, with sedatives and the surgical anesthetic propofol in order to combat the singer's chronic insomnia. He said he did so on the morning of June 25, 2009, when Jackson died of what a coroner deemed acute propofol poisoning.
TMZ reported on Tuesday (February 8) that Murray's lawyers plan to argue that Jackson was already in weak health before he died and that it's unfair to blame propofol for his passing. Unnamed sources close to the case told the gossip site that at the time of his death, Jackson's body was already failing him in part because concert promoter AEG Live had "driven [him] over the edge" with a rigorous rehearsal schedule for the shows.
Murray's lawyers reportedly plan to call witnesses to say that Jackson was not showing up for rehearsals and when he did he showed "clear signs" of frail health. They also reportedly plan to argue that it was Jackson who administered the final, fatal dose of propofol to himself while Murray was out of the room.
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Britney Spears Parties At Club Nikki At The Tropicana In Las Vegas, NV
Britney Spears brought her Femme Fatale Tour to Las Vegas, NV last night and partied afterward at an opening night event at Club Nikki inside the Tropicana Hotel and Casino. Britney and her guys — boyfriend Jason Trawick and managers Adam Leber & Larry Rudolph — partied in the VIP area of the club overseeing [...]
Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/pinkisthenewblog/~3/hf6qb4Z1lgo/
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Justin Bieber Vintage Video: His First Meeting With Usher
Justin Timberlake also wanted to sign Bieber, 'Never Say Never' star said in 2009.
By Jocelyn Vena
Justin Bieber
Photo: Brian Phares/MTV News
Just as the world was learning who Justin Bieber was, MTV News caught up with the shaggy-haired singer in September 2009. He was gearing up to release his debut album, My World, and plotting his pop-world domination. In the year and a half since that interview, Bieber has done the nearly impossible, launching himself into the pop mega-sphere.
In the chat, Bieber recalled how he and his manager, Scooter Braun, met and eventually got big names interested in signing the teen.
"My manager found me on YouTube. He flew me out to Atlanta for the first time — I'd never actually been on a plane before. He flew me to Atlanta where i was going to the studio to meet some people," he recalled.
"And Usher happened to roll up in his Range Rover. I ran up to him, and I was like, 'Usher, I love your songs. Want me to sing you one?' The politest possible way he could say no, he did. ... I took the hint. I didn't get to sing for him: He had to run into a studio session."
But later, Usher was beckoning the teen back to the ATL. "He actually watched my videos — after my manager got to talking to him — and was like, 'I should have let this kid sing,' and flew me back to Atlanta where I got to sing for him in a proper setting. A week later, I had a meeting with Justin Timberlake, who also wanted to sign me, so they both kind of wanted me."
As the story goes, Bieber went with Usher, and the two never looked back.
"As far as Usher being my mentor, he's definitely given me words of wisdom. I hear it from everybody, but definitely to hear it from Usher is great, just to stay humble and grounded is very important," he explained.
"There's a lot of people, especially young stars, that have gone down the wrong path, and I definitely plan to stay humble and stay grounded and keep my family first, because that stuff really is important in life."
On Friday, Justin Bieber's 3-D documentary, "Never Say Never," opens. The film takes a look at how the teen star worked to hit it big. MTV News has been chatting with him along the way, from the time he first burst on the scene in 2009 until now, as he embarks on a huge 2011 that will include a tour and more new music.
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Beyonce Premieres 'Best Thing I Never Had'
Breakup tune, penned by B and Babyface, serves as second single off singer's new album, 4.
By James Dinh
Beyoncé
Photo: Getty
With "Me, Myself and I," "Irreplaceable" and even "If I Were a Boy," Beyoncé has proven that she excels at delivering top-notch pop&B, need-you-no-more-type jams. Her new single, "Best Thing I Never Had," which she co-wrote with Babyface and released on Wednesday morning (June 1), is just the latest entry in that category.
Following the eccentric dance sounds of her lead single "Run the World (Girls)," Bey takes things down a notch on this midtempo cut off her new album, 4. Reminiscent of her 2006 hit "Irreplaceable," the song has the pop star taking aim at a former lover, admitting that she no longer desires him after discovering his deceitful ways.
"I wanted you bad/ I'm so through with it/ Cuz honestly you turned out to be the best thing I never had/ You turned out to be the best thing I never had/ And I'm gon' always be the best thing you never had/ I bet it sucks to be you right now," she confidently sings on the chorus.
With its radio-friendly appeal and catchy chorus, "Best Thing I Never Had" sounds not unlike a song you'd hear during a Broadway musical. That may be because, as Beyoncé has revealed, she collaborated with the band from "Fela!" for "a couple of days" to gain inspiration from the play's subject, Nigerian musician Fela Kuti.
On the single artwork for "Best Thing I Never Had," a platinum-blond Beyoncé strikes a pose in a small bathroom. Sporting a tight-fitting dress, the pop star holds red lipstick up to a mirror after writing "King B" on it.
In addition to Babyface, it seems that the pop superstar has also collaborated recently with OneRepublic. "Just finished mix on Beyoncé song — last one to make her album, once again she blew me away vocally, this is sumthin different — hope ya like!" the band tweeted on Tuesday.
What do you think of "Best Thing I Never Had"? Share your reviews below!
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Beyonce's 4 Leaks Three Weeks Early
Leak comes same day as Andre 3000 collabo, 'Party,' hit the Internet.
By Gil Kaufman
Photo: Getty
Beyoncé fans were psyched on Tuesday when her collabo with Andre 3000, "Party," leaked weeks before her new album is due. But they must have been flipping later in the day when all of 4 popped up online, three weeks before its official release date of June 28.
According to the Los Angeles Times, a short time after the Kanye West and Consequence-produced "Party" slipped out, another song, "Countdown," which samples the Boyz II Men tune "Uhh Ahh," also surfaced, followed by the entire album. The paper reported that while B's label has been frantically rushing to rip the 12-track album off sites that have posted it, a number of music blogs have removed "Party" and "Countdown" after getting cease-and-desist letters from the singer's lawyers.
Always one step ahead of the law, some online rogues have taken to Twitter to put up links to the music, making it harder for the label to track down the music. Fans have already gotten a number of listens at the first album since Beyoncé's 2008 double-disc I Am ... Sasha Fierce, including the uptempo dancehall first single "Run the World (Girls)," the lush ballad "1+1" and the second official single, "Best Thing I Never Had." Another tune, "End of Time," which samples late Afrobeat superstar Fela Kuti, has also leaked online.
If it makes Beyoncé feel any better, Lady Gaga's Born This Way leaked a few days before its official release and still went on to sell more than 1.1 million copies.
A spokesperson for Beyoncé's label could not be reached for comment on the leak at press time.
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Michael Jackson Estate Rakes In $310 Million To Date
Singer left behind more than $400 million in debt.
Michael Jackson
Photo: Time Life Pictures/DMI/Time Life Pictures/Getty Im
Between album sales, movie profits, licensing arrangements and lucrative deals for Cirque du Soleil shows, the estate of late King of Pop Michael Jackson has raked in more than $300 million since the singer's shocking death in June 2009.
According to TMZ, legal documents released on Thursday reveal that executors of MJ's estate have managed to make a major dent in the more than $400 million in debt that Jackson owed at the time of his death.
The first accounting from the executors shows that they have already spent around $159 million paying back various debts, income taxes and other expenses, which include providing support for the pop star's mother, Katherine Jackson, as well as his three young children.
"Although there remain unresolved creditor claims, pending litigation and additional challenging business, tax and legal issues, and the estate is not yet in a condition to be closed, the executors have made substantial progress in reducing the estate's debt," the documents state, according to a Reuters report. Two of Jackson's longtime confidants, attorney John Branca and music executive John McClain, were named as administrators in a will sign by the pop icon.
In addition to paying to make "substantial improvements" to the Jackson family's Havenhurst estate in Encino, California, the executors also spent an undetermined amount of money on "last illness and funeral and memorial service expenses." Those costs included a $900,000 payment to the Forest Lawn Memorial cemetery where Jackson is buried and $35,000 on expenses described as "costume for memorial."
TMZ reported that not only did the famously cash-strapped Jackson have more than $400 million in debt, but his estate also owed more than $40 million to concert promoter AEG tied to the scuttled This Is It Tour, for which MJ was rehearsing when he died unexpectedly. They've also paid $27.2 million in taxes and $4 million in mortgage payments on Jackson's properties.
Despite the solid sales of the Michael album and millions of units of the singer's back catalog being sold, as well as the box office of the "This Is It" movie and DVD sales, the estate is not nearly out of the woods. TMZ noted that the administrators have received more than 65 creditors' claims, some of which are subject to "extremely high" interest rates, and there are several outstanding lawsuits against the estate in several countries.
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Sunday 26 June 2011
Beyonce Responds To 4 Album Leak
'While this is not how I wanted to present my new songs, I appreciate the positive response,' she tells MTV News in a statement.
By Gil Kaufman
Beyonce's <i>4</i>
Photo: Columbia
Beyoncé is taking a glass-half-full approach to the leak of her entire 4 album three weeks before its June 28 release date.
In a statement released to MTV News on Wednesday (June 8), Beyoncé lamented the early arrival but said she's making the most of the eagerness of her fans to get their hands on her first new batch of songs since 2008's double-disc I Am ... Sasha Fierce.
"My music was leaked and while this is not how I wanted to present my new songs, I appreciate the positive response from my fans," the singer wrote. "When I record music I always think about my fans singing every note and dancing to every beat. I make music to make people happy and I appreciate that everyone has been so anxious to hear my new songs."
Beyoncé fans were psyched Tuesday when her collabo with Andre 3000, "Party," leaked weeks before the new album was due. It was one of several leaks the album has faced over the past week. A short time after the Kanye West and Consequence-produced "Party" slipped out, another song, "Countdown," which samples the Boyz II Men tune "Uhh Ahh," also surfaced, followed by the entire album.
While B's team scrambles to take down the offending links that have popped up all over the Web, some online rogues have taken to Twitter to put up links, making it harder for the label to track down the music. Fans have already gotten a number of listens to tunes from the disc, including the uptempo dancehall first single "Run the World (Girls)," the lush ballad "1+1" and the second official single "Best Thing I Never Had." Another tune, "End of Time," which samples late Afrobeat superstar Fela Kuti, has also leaked online.
Have you heard any of the leaked album, or are you waiting for the official release? Let us know in the comments.
Related ArtistsSource: http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1665391/beyonce-4-leak.jhtml
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'Bad Teacher' Cheat Sheet: Everything You Need To Know
Before signing up for Cameron Diaz's class, study up with our fun facts.
By Eric Ditzian
Cameron Diaz and Justin Timberlake in "Bad Teacher"
Photo: Sony
It's been more than a month since "Bridesmaids" slayed us at the cinema. We're desperately in need of some hard-R laughs, a few gross-out moments that make us cringe, and the reminder that as crazy as we might be, we're not nearly as loco as the folks we're watching onscreen.
Thus, we say thanks to "Bad Teacher" as it floats, on a comedic cloud of profanity and penis jokes, into theaters. Cameron Diaz stars as Elizabeth Halsey, an educator less concerned with math lessons than she is in smoking pot and calculating her way into marriage with any filthy-rich doofus. She meets the perfect mark in Justin Timberlake's Scott Delacorte, a substitute teacher and a guy so freaking nice there's got be something wrong with him. And then we have Jason Segel's sly gym teacher; even though he's got the hots for Halsey, his paycheck doesn't have nearly enough digits to entice the leggy blonde.
But all this is just the setup. The punch comes in a series of outlandish events that, if we were to reveal them here, would just spoil the fun. What we can do is tell you everything you need to know about "Bad Teacher" before hitting the multiplex this weekend. That's where our cheat sheet comes into play.
Getting Ready for Class
News of the film, penned by "Office" scribes Lee Eisenberg and Gene Stupnitsky, broke in December of 2009. Diaz had signed on, but the rest of the cast had yet to be filled out. That changed a few months later, when Timberlake and Segel hopped aboard. Though Diaz had formerly dated JT, the actress had no qualms about stepping in front of the camera with him.
"He's the best person for the job. He's going to be hilarious," she said. "He's clearly a very talented comedian; look at his 'Saturday Night Live' [skits]. He's fantastic. He's going to be so great."
School's in Session
Filming kicked off in March. Nearly a year later, a truly filthy red-band trailer popped up online, giving us a very clear idea of how truly terrible a teacher Diaz would be: "Are you f---ing kidding me?" she writes on a student's test.
While the comedy's raunchiness was no surprise, Timberlake's weirdo of a sub certainly was. As Diaz later explained to us, "He gives us a character that you have not seen yet before — not just him, but pretty much anyone. It's just a very interesting character and a lot of fun to watch. By the end of it, you're like, 'What is up with that dude?' It's hilarious."
The Final Exam
As part of our Summer Movie Preview Week, we debuted an exclusive photo of Diaz getting ready for a fundraising car wash unlike any that you might recall from your school days and also sat down for a chat with the woman herself.
"She's miserable. She's not happy with her world, and she doesn't pretend that she is," Diaz said of her character. "Her pain is real. She's living a very painful existence, so there's no humor to her in this."
Sure, she's a woman in pain. But there's also something liberating about the way she just doesn't give a hoot about anything. "I think that's why people love Elizabeth," Diaz told us at the film's premiere in New York City. "It's because everyone wants to be her, even for an hour, maybe a day. If you get away with a week — oh my gosh! I got to play her for six weeks. So yeah, it was a lot of fun."
"The first 30 pages, I'm like, 'I am not playing this. There is no way I can play this character. There [are] no redeeming qualities to this character,' " she recalled of the script in an earlier chat. "And by the end of it, I'm like, 'Oh my God, this is genius! There's no redeeming qualities to this character!' We got to the end of the script, and we're not apologizing for anything she said. It's a very modest arc."
Check out everything we've got on "Bad Teacher."
For breaking news, celebrity columns, humor and more — updated around the clock — visit MTVMoviesBlog.com.
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